Mind Body Soul Columnist Bernadette Petrie lost her battle with cancer at the end of last year. Her husband, Dave, has graciously allowed us to keep sharing excerpts from her book for this column.

We all have fond memories of our favourite teachers, and Bernadette reminds us of the significance of connecting with our inner teacher, as this connection will help us reach our full potential.

Depending on your own experience with teachers, this may bring up different emotions for you. Most of us have been significantly influenced by teachers in our educational lives, and this was also the case for me. Generally, we have one or two teachers who stand out and provide a memorable, positive learning experience. My Primary One and Primary Five teachers are the ones I recall. They are, I feel, the teachers who understood me and, therefore, knew how to get the best out of me. In fact, they seemed to know how to get the most out of everyone in the class. I remember my P5 teacher with great affection. Her name was Una McGinn. I think it’s safe to say we all adored her. Sadly, she left after only a year, and it felt like she had left a big hole in our lives. Most of us muddled through; however, one girl in my class went from showing tremendous potential to losing all interest in her education. Her educational relapse from top of the class to bottom stayed with me – all that lost potential. I used to wonder how things might have been different for her if she had realised the potential the teacher saw in her and had gone on to Grammar School, as it had looked very likely in that year.

What if the teacher we are meant to connect with is the one deep inside of us? The one who will never leave and the one who will guide us to realise our full potential? I now believe she has been there all along. My P5 teacher was actually a glimpse of what lay inside me.

In my coaching work, I guided many people to connect with their inner wisdom. What struck me as I looked at this doodle was that the tone of voice of my own inner teacher is a lot like the tone of voice my P5 teacher used – encouraging, loving, patient, sometimes firm but always full of love. My inner wisdom also reminds me a lot of my P1 teacher’s warm, loving, gentle presence, which saw us all as bright shining stars.

So, how do we connect with that inner teacher on a day-to-day basis?
Firstly, we must be still, and in doing so, we connect with our breath. From that space, we can breathe deeply. So much of our time is spent flitting from one online stimulant to another, as we search for advice from Google or other sources. Our wisdom, locked deep inside us, is often ignored. What if, in addition to relying on Google, we connect to the stillness within? Ask the questions and wait for the guidance.  

Questions any great teacher will ask us are: “What seems to be the problem? What are you afraid of?” Because it’s okay to be scared and uncertain, and maybe what you are afraid of isn’t actually true. Look at this differently. What do you feel is the next best move, then perhaps what could you do next? What in all of this feels right to you? You can do this!

Simply by asking ourselves these questions and assuming the role of the teacher within, we will find our way forward, connecting and being the teacher hand in hand. By adapting the tone of voice of our favourite teacher, we will feel safe to experiment to take that step. Who knows where that will lead us?

Please take a few moments to remember your favourite teacher, and next time you feel stuck, speak to yourself in their tone of voice. Ask yourself the questions that your amazing teacher would have asked, and be ready to take action, one step at a time.

Article adapted from Bernadette’s book Permission to Shine – Chapter 10
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